Kingdom of Jordan, Hussein ibn Talal, 1/2 Dirham 1374 AH

Jordan stood under Islamic rule for centuries. Except for the time from 1115-1187, when it belonged to the Christian Crusader state of Jerusalem, and from 1920-1946, when it was under British authority.
After Jordan gained independence in 1946, the parliament proclaimed Abdulla ibn Hussein as Jordan's first king – Abdullah had already ruled the country on behalf of the Brits as emir (governor) since 1921. In 1951 he was assassinated, and succeeded first by his son and then by his grandson. The latter is the issuer of this half dirham. The recent king of Jordan is Abdullah II, the son of our coin authority and the grand-grandson of the country's founder. Family tradition has it that Abdullah II is a 43rd-generation direct descendant of the Prophet Mohammed.